CURRENT MISSION

Save some money for college loan payments starting up and hopefully a ring

ABOUT ME

I love music. Many people say that they love music, but I doubt whether they live it out. DJing, researching music, and attending and promoting live shows consumes most of my life. As a parallel interest, I am fascinated with youth cultures, their formation,and how to overcome the differences between such groups. This is my main focus in studying philosophy, history, religion, broadcasting, and urban studies at university. I live my life according to a rigorous collection of self-imposed rules based in my Christianity, study of philosophy, and things I admire about those I respect. I like to dance, sing, play the trombone, write, and talk about virtually anything. While I realize it is not possible to hear all the good music, read all the good books, eat all the good food, and so on, I want to come as close as I possibly can. I believe that life is meant to be a work of art, and I like to think that mine is an interesting one. I love meeting people who make me question that belief while doing things that make it more likely to be true.

PHILOSOPHY

I described this in my about me. Nietzsche talks about how we should not break the tablets (laws), but make new ones for ourselves. That and Kierkegaard's leap of faith are the central principles on which I have built my life as an attempt at art.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Ever since my first experience with couchsurfing-a party in Oxford for couchsurfers just before I left for a trip to Europe where I did my first surfing-I have promoted couchsurfing and the people who do it to everyone I meet. I believe that couchsurfing is one of the great influences toward a more peaceful, harmonious world by helping people meet each other and learn about each other's cultures, an important step to ending hate and violence.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I first couchsurfed in Amsterdam. My Oxford flatmate and I arrived in the city and went to an internet cafe to explore options for lodging for the two days for which we were unable to get a hostel. He found out there was a couchsurfing meetup that night, and we met Alvaro, an extremely friendly Mexican who had just moved to Amsterdam from the south of France. He had no furniture, but let us sleep on his floor that first night and again the night before we left.

My second experience was with the Bauer family in Vienna, who were some of the nicest and most interesting people I have ever met. They had other couchsurfers with them as well, and we all shared some wonderful and delicious meals together, as well as with their downstairs neighbors. Marcus even took us out on the town one night, and they suggested some things to go see in the limited time we were there. It was wonderful to see them raising their children in an environment where they constantly get to meet new and interesting people from different cultures, something I'm sure they will be thankful for down the road. My only regret is that we could not stay longer and enjoy their wonderful collection of board games.

These experiences have confirmed me in the belief that couchsurfing is a great thing and that I want to host when I get home and surf for the rest of my life.

Interests

As you can see from my about me, I am obsessed with music, DJing and keeping a blog to share my musical discoveries with everyone. I like many kinds of music, as well as other aspects of mass culture, especially books, TV, and movies. As a philosophy, history, and religion student, I am enamored with these topics as well, and read as much as I can. I used to play football/soccer, both indoor and outdoor, until I blew out my knees my senior year of high school. I also played basketball, but I wasn't very good. I love Philadelphia professional sports. I am fascinated by urban decay and its reversal, probably due to my upbringing in America's 'rust belt'. I was raised in a family in which food is central, and especially enjoy unhealthy foods.

• arts
• culture
• books
• literature
• singing
• dancing
• environment
• dining
• partying
• movies
• board games
• tv
• traveling
• socializing
• blogging
• music
• outdoor activities
• surfing
• christian
• sports
• basketball
• soccer
• history
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

I like music. There really isn't any more description needed after that.

My favorite movies include the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings sagas, Humphrey Bogart movies, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and many more.

Books have always been a huge part of my life. Much of my life is centered around The Bible and the works of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Wittgenstein, but many of my books are less serious in nature, like the novels associated with the aforementioned films, The Hitchhiker's Guide series, and works by Ted Dekker and Michael Crichton.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I saw European air travel come to a halt because of ash from a volcano in Iceland.

Teach, Learn, Share

I know a lot about music and music scenes, existential and postmodern philosophy, and the Judeo-Christian religion. I would like to learn more about the arts corresponding with those philosophies, especially literature, or about local music in other places.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Italy, United Kingdom, United States